


And At Last I have My Light

by dancingflaaames



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, M/M, post-kh3, post-remind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25203031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancingflaaames/pseuds/dancingflaaames
Summary: Sora finally takes Riku to Kingdom of Corona.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 69
Collections: Re⊕Collect: A Soriku Fic Collection





	And At Last I have My Light

It’s all Sora wanted to do since before the clashing of the seven lights and thirteen darknesses: Take Riku to his favorite worlds in the hope that his best friend would enjoy them too. They’d been through so much, now that they were finally together again, they deserved a time to relax and have fun. He wanted Riku to share in his adventures, meet his new friends and experience new customs. They finally had the chance to see new worlds, like they’d planned all those years ago.

Sora risked a glance at Riku before refocusing on his checklist. And maybe…. gather the courage to tell his best friend how he truly felt.

“Which world are we visiting again?” Riku asked as he pulled his suitcase to the front door and set it against the wall. 

Sora was looking over their checklist and making sure they had everything they would need for their trip. He looked up at Riku’s question and tilted his head with a resounding, “Huh?” 

Chuckling, Riku walked into the kitchen and peered over Sora’s shoulder to see what had him so distracted. “I was asking what world we were visiting, since I don’t think you actually ever told me,” he reiterated. 

Sora huffed out a soft ‘Oh’ as he rubbed the back of his neck, his face flushed.“Sorry, we’re going to the Kingdom of Corona. Queen Rapunzel sent me an invitation for the Festival of the Lights. It’s this really sweet festival they hold every year for the lost Princess, except she’s not lost anymore, so I think it’s more a celebration for her return. Anyway, they have dancing and games and when the night falls, they light up lanterns and release them. It’s really beautiful,” he gushed excitedly. 

Riku watched Sora for a moment before smiling softly. “It sounds like a lot of fun, I look forward to it,” he said before leaving the kitchen. 

Sora watched until Riku was out of sight, then closed his eyes as his head tilted back. He couldn’t explain to Riku why he kept checking the list or why everything had to be perfect. This was the trip; if it didn’t happen while they were in the Kingdom of Corona, it wasn’t going to happen at all. 

Once they were certain that they had everything they needed for their trip, Riku and Sora climbed into the gummi ship and headed off towards the Kingdom of Corona. They took turns flying while talking about their plans and what other worlds they wanted to visit. 

“We should go to Halloweentown! I can finally prove to you that Santa does exist!” Sora exclaimed, making Riku laugh. 

“I can’t believe you’re still on that. We were kids! How was I supposed to know he was actually real?” Riku asked, blasting a meteor that was in their way. 

A comfortable silence fell over them that allowed Sora’s thoughts to run wild again. There were so many ways Sora’s plan could go and he still wasn’t set on which way would be the right way. Or if he should tell him at all. How were things going to change? Would this change everyone’s dynamic? 

“You got awfully quiet over there, is everything okay?” Riku asked him. 

“Hm? Oh yeah, ha,” Sora just laughed, hoping it would cover his nerves, “Just enjoying the view. I wonder if we’ll have enough time to visit other places in the world before the festival!” 

“Well, there’s always time after the festival right? Whatever we don’t see today, we can see over the next few days.” Riku suggested, blasting his way through a meteor. 

“Yeah, that’s true…” Sora trailed off. If his confession didn’t go as planned and if Riku didn’t feel the same, Sora didn’t think there’d be a reason to continue with their trip. He’d want to return to Destiny Islands as soon as he could to hide away and lick his wounds. 

Another comfortable silence fell over them for the remainder of their flight and when they arrived, it seemed to be early morning in the Kingdom of Corona. Sora barrelled out of the gummi ship, a look of pure joy on his face. He turned to Riku, grinning so widely that his eyes started to squint. 

“Wow, this place is beautiful,” Riku said looking around at his surroundings. They had landed near an open field that was covered in different flowers. Just left of the gummi ship was a small waterfall that flowed into a small lake.

Sora admired Riku as he took in everything. He wanted to capture this moment forever, so he grabbed out his gummiphone. “You want to take a selfie?” he asked 

“Sure,” Riku replied, wrapping an arm around Sora’s waist and pulling him closer so they could both be in frame. 

“Say cheese!” Sora exclaimed, his body hyper aware of how warm Riku was. Maybe it was due to the weather. Maybe it was because the sun hadn’t had a chance to warm up the world yet, or maybe it was the crisp breeze coming from the lake. Either way, it was all he could do to pull away from Riku after they took the picture. 

“C’mon, the festival isn’t for a few more hours so we have some time to explore!” Sora said, taking Riku’s hand. “I can show you where Rapunzel used to live! It reminds me a lot of Hollow Bastion.” Sora bounced on the balls of his feet, before spinning around and pulling Riku behind him. 

Riku laughed and let Sora drag him off into the meadows. Sora spotted the little cave that led to the tower and he grinned, pulling RIku towards it. “I want to show you something! But you have to close your eyes,” he said, letting Riku go to place his hands on his hips. 

Riku mimicked Sora’s pose. “How am I supposed to see the surprise if my eyes are closed?” he teased before closing his eyes.

Sora waved a hand in front of Riku’s eyes to make sure he wasn’t peeking. Oncehe was satisfied, he quickly pushed past the vines hanging across the entrance of the cave. Once he knew he was out of sight, he called out. 

“Okay, you can look now!”

“Sora? Where’d you go?” Riku asked. Sora watched as he turned around a few times, trying to figure out where he’d gone. After a few more moments, Sora jumped out of the entrance and yelled ‘Hah!”, startling Riku into a half-jump back.

“Sora!” Riku laughed, swatting at him as he clutched his chest. 

Sora fell back as he laughed, pointing at his friend. “Oh man, your face was priceless!” he said, falling into the grass to catch his breath. Once they’d both calmed down, Sora got up and motioned Riku to follow him through the short cavern.

They emerged to the hidden valley with the tower where Rapunzel spent most of her life. It had been boarded and locked up per Rapunzel’s request so that no one would ever have to face the same life she’d had. As they walked towards the building, Sora recalled Rapunzel’s story and his part in helping her finally see the world beyond.How he and his friends helped Rapunzel with her dream, and how she was finally reunited with her family. 

“Wow, and she was locked up there for eighteen years?” Riku asked, shocked. Sora nodded his head, proud of Rapunzel for everything she’d accomplished.

“And now she’s queen,” Sora said, a little smug that he was able to help his friend realize her dream and save her life. 

They headed back through the meadows, Sora recalling all the heartless and nobodies they’d encountered. He admitted how tasty the Flan looked, but swore that he hadn’t tried to eat it because that would have been very weird. They stopped to watch the abundance of bunnies and birds that crossed their path, and Sorarecounted how he’d carefully maneuvered through a creek with birds flying around his head (literally) to bring them to Rapunzel.

“Oh! Lemme show you how we travel between the cliffs,” Sora said, grabbing a piece of hanging vine. He pulled Riku close, wrapping his arm around his friend’s waist as tightly as he could. He didn’t want to drop him while they were swinging, after all. 

“Hold on tight,” Sora said, causing Riku to wrap his arms around Sora. His touch was warm, comforting, nice. Sora felt his face flush. He mentally shook his head so he could focus on the task at hand. “And jump!” he exclaimed, jumping to swing across to the other side of the cliff. 

Riku gasped out a scream as they flew across the gap, his hold on Sora tightening as they landed on the opposite side. Sora started to laugh.  
“I can’t believe Mister Keyblade Master is afraid of flying,” he said once his laughter calmed down. 

Riku pouted at Sora before straightening up. “I just wasn’t prepared, that’s all.” He stuck his tongue out in good measure. 

Sora just laughed before taking his hand again and pulling him along. “C’mon, we’re almost there!” he said. 

It was lunchtime by the time they reached the castle gates, so they decided to take a break before exploring the city. They sat down in a shady spot by the lake so they could admire the kingdom while they ate, and Riku pulled out the meal they’d packed. 

“Ya know, I’m surprised you didn’t invite Kairi here. I’m sure she would’ve really enjoyed it,” Riku said before taking a bite of his sandwich. 

Sora didn’t respond right away. He chewed his own food slowly, staring out across the lake at the city. Then he swallowed and shrugged. “She’s been super focused on her training with Aqua. I didn’t have the heart to drag her away from that when she’s so close to her test, ya know? Maybe when she returns from Radiant Garden, we can all come here. We’ll bring Olette and the others too!” he said.

Riku gave him a confused smile at the mention of the others

“That sounds fun.” he decided a few moments later. He had finished his sandwich and was leaning back against his hands, staring out at the lake, too. 

Sora watched the clouds in the sky start to move, bringing more sunlight to the little lunch spot. The shadows moved away from Riku’s face, and Sora noticed how bright his eyes glowed in the sun's light. Residual effects of the dream eater magic had softened Riku’s eyes from their usual teal to a nice blue; Happiness or contentment, Riku had explained the first time they’d noticed. Sora Smiled at that-- Riku was happy and relaxed.

Blue was becoming Sora’s new favorite color.

Riku started to move and Sora quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in a dandelion dancing in the breeze. He could feel Riku’s gaze on him and he did his best to ignore the heat rising on his face. Keep it together, Sora.

“We should get you under some shade, your face is looking rather pink,” Riku said. He stood up, brushing off his clothes before helping Sora up. They found a tree with a large shadow and sat under it until Sora was finished with his food. Sora avoided looking at Riku, pretending to focus on the rest of his sandwich instead. He knew he should relax, but it was impossible to sit still, knowing what he had planned.

The moment he finished, he jumped to his feet. “Come on, the festival should be starting! Plus we can see Rapunzel and Eugene!” 

He helped Riku pack up their things before putting it in their packs. Once everything was packed away, they headed inside the castle grounds. 

The Castle grounds were bustling with people, fresh fruit and veggies were displayed out for anyone to take and there were purple flags with golden suns hung between buildings. Some vendors even had different colored flags with the suns painted on them for sale. The townspeople were chatting and laughing as they walked around to different vendors and the shrill laughter and happy screams from children could be heard over everything else. 

In the middle of the square people were starting to gather as the music changed from a fun melody to an upbeat shanty. Riku turned to watch men and women paired up, dancing around in circles and cheering as they made their way around the square. 

“Wow, they do this all for her?” Riku looked around, taking everything in. 

“Come on Riku, let’s dance!” Sora said, taking his hand and pulling him into the rush of people. 

“Oh no, Sora I don’t really know how to dance.” Riku tried to decline, but Sora had already started to dance with the others, spinning around and pumping their fists in the air. Riku cursed Sora silently as he was swept away by the other townspeople who eagerly encouraged him to dance along with them. Giving in, he allowed them to lead the way. 

Sora hollered and whooped when he saw Riku start to let loose and enjoy himself. Then he turned to his next dance partner, swinging their arms and twirling them around before skipping around. 

As they danced to the music, Sora felt like the music was getting louder and more enthusiastic with every step he made. He and his dance partner’s every move was in sync; their hands and feet moving together in perfect harmony. Their connection and ability to move this way was almost magical, Sora thought as the music stopped. He stumbled forward, only to be caught by his dancing partner. Sora looked up to apologize only to find that he was face to face with Riku, whose hands were holding onto his. He swore he could feel their hearts beating together and faint music rang through his ears that was nothing like what the band was playing for the festival. 

Sora’s eyes searched Riku’s face and he considered for just a moment that maybe, just, maybe, Riku felt the same way he did. He watched as Riku took a deep breath and started to say something, “So--.” 

“Sora!” 

He turned to see Rapunzel and Eugene, who were waving enthusiastically at them. Sora waved back before dragging Riku behind him through the crowd, stopping when he reached his friends. He introduced them to Riku and started chatting about their most recent adventures. 

Rapunzel beckoned Sora over to a bench that was away from the walkway as Eugene asked Riku if he could try his mettle against a Keyblade Master. “I’m so glad you two were able to make it! Is he the one you wrote about in our letters?” Rapunzel asked. They watched as Riku lunged at Eugene with his keyblade, which Eugene barely blocked. 

“Yeah, he is. I’m gonna tell him tonight,” Sora said with a soft smile. 

Rapunzel put her hand on his arm, giving it a squeeze. “Take one of the royal boats and row him out in the middle of the lake. You’ll have the best view of the lights. It’ll be incredibly romantic,” she promised. 

Good to know, Sora thought as he watched Riku and Eugene end their duel. He clapped along with the others and cheered as Riku gave a shy bow. 

“We’re going to join the festivities, we’ll see you guys later!” Rapunzel said, taking Eugene’s hand so she could drag him into the square. 

Sora watched them go before turning to Riku. “Let’s go see what else there is to do!” He grinned, ignoring the butterflies that were flying around in his stomach. 

They spent the rest of their day playing games and chatting with the townspeople. They stopped for an afternoon snack, opting to try one of Corona's famous sweet fruit tarts. They headed to the docks at the south side of town, dipping their feet into the water, talking about everything and nothing. A group of young girls offered Riku a flower crown for his ‘pretty silver hair’ and offered a flower for Sora’s spikes. 

“I don’t look goofy, do I?” Riku asked, adjusting the crown so it sat on his head comfortably. Sora looked over, examining the colors of the flowers, an array of golds, purples and pinks. They really did look lovely against his silver hair. But Riku was watching him, so he couldn’t spend too long admiring the view. He grinned and gave Riku a thumbs up.

“Nah, I think it looks nice.” Sora said, forcing his attention on the water. More than nice really, he thought. Was he ready to do this? What was he supposed to do if Riku wasn’t interested? What was he supposed to do if he was? Did he kiss him? Push him in the water? No amount of time had Sora prepared for this, but he knew if the way their heart synched and sang together was any indication, there was no reason to turn back now. 

As it started to grow dark, they went to the vendor passing out lanterns and got one for themselves. 

“Where should we go?” Riku asked, scanning the area for a place to sit. 

“Actually, I was thinking we could take a rowboat out to the middle of the lake? Rapunzel says it’s got the best view,” Sora explained. 

“Okay! Let’s go find a free one,” Riku said, carrying their lantern and taking Sora’s hand so he didn’t get lost in the crowd. They found a single row boat by the docks, and carefully stepped inside. Riku rowed them out to the middle of the lake where they waited for the sun to set. 

“It’s starting!” Sora said watching as the first lantern was lit by Rapunzel and Eugene, high on the balcony of their castle. Soon it was floating into the air, slowly making its way to the heavens. 

“On three, okay?” Riku asked as they held the lantern between them. “One...two… three.” They gave the lantern a small push and watched as it slowly started to join the others. 

Sora chewed on his bottom lip nervously. He set his eyes on Riku whose attention was set on the lanterns that were gliding through the night sky. He watched as the lights reflected in Riku’s teal eyes, his heart racing in his chest as he gathered the courage to say I love you. 

“Huh?” Riku’s eyes darted to him. Sora froze under Riku’s concerned gaze. “Did you say something Sora?” he asked. 

He hadn’t, had he? No, he was sure he hadn’t. It had to be the connection their heart shared; Riku probably heard Sora’s heart call out for him. 

Taking a deep breath, Sora lowered his hands into his lap and looked up at Riku. This was it. 

“All my life, I’ve been told to follow my heart,” he replied. His fingers curled into the fabric of his pants, but he didn’t look away. Riku was completely focused on him. “And each time I do, it leads me back to you.” 

“Sora…” Riku’s voice was soft as it trailed off. As he spoke, his eyes had softened from the light blue to a bright magenta. Sora had never seen that color befoer, and didn’t know what to make of it. He looked away, cheeks flushed.

He felt Riku’s hand upon his and he looked up.Riku was studying their hands, watching as he laced their fingers together. Sora liked how warm Riku’s hand was, how it wasn’t much bigger than his, but it felt right. It gave him the courage to continue.

“These past few years have been rough, but every time, it was always you to bring me home. You were always the one who got me through my darkest days. I couldn’t go another day without at least telling you how I felt.” Sora explained. 

Riku’s eyes faded to a light pink as Sora spoke, but he shook his head. “You’ve got it all wrong,” he said. He leaned forward and cupped Sora’s jaw, running his thumb over his cheek “You’ve always been my light,” he admitted. 

Sora beamed at Riku, leaning into his hand and covering it with his own. “And at last I have my light,” he whispered.

Riku shook his head and chuckled before pulling Sora into a gentle kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my piece for the Re*Collect Soriku Zine!


End file.
